Medical fluid treatment therapies are generally used to treat loss of renal function or renal failure. A person's renal system can fail due to disease, injury or other causes, such as complications associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment. During renal failure or loss of renal function, toxic end products of metabolism (e.g., urea, creatinine, uric acid, and others) can accumulate in blood and tissues because the balance of water, minerals and the excretion of daily metabolic load can be reduced or no longer possible.
Renal support can be provided by a continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), such as continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) or continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF). These therapies are designed to remove metabolic waste and excess fluid from patient in fluid overload and those who need renal support. These therapies allow provide continuous fluid, electrolyte and toxin clearance even in the absence of adequate native renal function via convective or dialytic processes through a permeable membrane.
CRRT is a common renal replacement therapy for critically ill and hemodynamically unstable patients in the pediatric intensive care unit. However, there is currently no FDA approved CRRT device for use in the neonatal and pediatric populations. Generally, physicians resort to utilizing devices approved for adults to treat children. The adult approved CRRT devices are not designed for the smaller volumes inherent in treating children.